Tertiary butyl derivative of pseudocumene and process for preparing same



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TERTIARY BUTYL DERIVATIVE OF PSEU- DOCUMENE AND PROCESS FOR PREPAR- ING SAME Marion Scott Carpenter, Nutley, N. J., assignor to Givaudan-Delawanna, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application December 23, 1935, Serial No. 55,847

4 Claims. (01. 260168) This invention relates to a tertiary butyl deiron or aluminum chloride may be replaced by rivative of pseudocumene and to processes for tin or titanium tetrachloride. its manufacture.

In my copending application Serial No. 55,848, Emampze 2 5 filed December 23, 1935, I disclose and claim a To 13 9 Sulfuric acid 93% previously cooled 6 new artificial musk which I have discovered and to 10c C. there is added with emcjent agita whfch I prepare by mtratlon of tert'butyl tion a solution of 120 g. tort-butyl alcohol in pse'ldocumene' v 410 g. pseudocumene, maintaining the tempera- I have made the discovery that the tert-butyl ture between and The reaction 10 psePdqcumene hitherto unknown and unde" ture is poured onto ice and the oil which sepascnbea! may be plierfared byreactmg benzene rates is Washed free of acid and distilled as in hydrocarbon containing 13 minus a carbon atoms Example 1. with an aliphatic compound containing carbon Example 3 atoms in the presence of an acid condensing 15 agent. The tort-butyl pseudocumene may thus 1750 g. 1,3-dimethyl-5-tert-buty1 benzene, 15

be obtained: hereafter referred to as butyl xylene, 108 g. para- (1) By introduction of a tort-butyl group into formaldehyde (or an equivalent quantity of. compseudocumene by (a) the Friedel-Crafts reacmercial 37% formaldehyde solution) and 650 g.

tion: 31% hydrochloric acid are mixed and warmed CH: OH: to 50 C. Then with constant agitation there are 20 added 1200 g. 82% sulfuric acid. After 5-6 hours +O4HBO1 A1013 +301 agitation at 50-70 C. the formaldehyde is con- OH C H OH sumed and the reaction mixture is cooled. The a 4 9 3 acid layer is discarded, the oily layer is washed CH3 CH3 with water until free of acid and distilled, pref- 5 or (b) by the Liebermann reaction (using terterably n v The excess butyl Xylene i ills butyl l oh l d lf i id), over first then, under a vacuum of 4 mm. of mer- (2) By introduction f methyl group i t cury, there is collected the desired 2,4-dirnethyltext-butyl m-xylene by th th d of Blane 6-tert-buty1 benzyl chloride boiling at 117-120C. (chlor-methylation and subsequent dechlorina- It soon conge s t0 lorless, massive rhombs 30 tion); melting at about 26-27 C. The specific gravity CH3 CH; CH:

HOHO H01 2 +NaOH C4H9 CH3 C Hn CH3 0411 CH: 35

CHiCl 0H3 The following examples indicate various ways at 25 C. of the Supe liquid is a u in which the foregoing new substance may be 10030-10040. For the dechlorination 0f the 2,4:-

synthesized, it being understood that I do not d t y -fie -b ty be y Ch or de it is not 40 limit myself to the precise c nditi h i necessary that it be distilled from the excess described. butyl xylene; the crude product obtained from Example 1 the above reaction may be submitted directly to the dechlorination process, although I prefer to 65 er yl hl e i d d, wi h eonremove the butyl xylene first. 355 g. zinc dust 45 Slant agitation, a Suspension of 5 anhydrous are covered with 500 g. water and the suspension l n m r ferric ch or e in 300 a ps heated to 100 G. Then, With vigorous agitation m n at a temperature f about there are introduced simultaneously the 2,4-di- When the reaction has subsided, the mixture is methyl-B-tert-butyl benzyl chloride produced in washed with water until free of acid and inthe first step (either distilled or in the crude 50 organic salts. The excess pseudocumene is disform containing butyl xylene) and 855 g. 18% tilled oii and the remaining tert-butyl pseudosodium hydroxide solution. Stirring and refluxcumene distilled in vacuo, the fraction boiling at ing are continued until the oily layer is free of 92 C. under a vacuum of 3.5 mm. being colchlorine. The oil is driven over with steam (or lected. By working at a higher temperature the separated by decantation from the zinc slime) 55 and redistilled as in Example 1. Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention numerous modifications of the above process may be used. For example, the proportions cited above may be varied within reasonable limits, the order of introduction of the reactants may be changed or all may be added at once, the time of reaction may be shortened by elevating the temperature (working under pressure), copper powder may be added to facilitate the dechlorination, or the sodium hydroxide may be replaced by potassium hydroxide, etc.

The tert-butyl pseudocumene which is produced by any of the above methods is a colorless, crystalline material soluble in the common organic solvents, boiling at 92 C. at 3.5 mm. of mercury pressure and melting at 32-33 C.

The invention claimed is:

1. 1,3,4-trimethyl-5-tert-buty1 benzene, comprising a colorless crystalling material having a boiling point of 92 C. under 3.5 mm. of mercury and a melting point of 32-33 C.

2. Process of preparing a tert-butyl derivative of pseudocumene which comprises reacting butyl xylene, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid at -70 C., cooling the reaction mixture and discarding the acid layer, dechlorinating the oily portion of the reaction mixture, distilling off the oily layer, redistilling same and collecting the fraction boiling at 92 C. under 3.5 mm. of mercury.

3. Process of preparing a tert-butyl derivative of. pseudocumene which comprises reacting butyl xylene, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid at 50-70 C., cooling the reaction mixture and discarding the acid layer, treating the resulting 2,4-dimethyl-6tert-butyl benzyl chloride boiling at 117-120 C. in a suspension of zinc dust, water and sodium hydroxide to remove chlorine, distilling oil the oily layer, redistilling same and collecting the fraction boiling at 92 C. under 3.5 mm. of mercury.

4. Process of preparing a tart-butyl derivative of pseudocumene which comprises mixing butyl xylene, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid and warming to 50 0., adding sulfuric acid to said mixture and agitating for 5-6 hours at 50-70" C., cooling the reaction mixture and discarding the acid layer, collecting the ZA-dimethyl-G- tert-butyl benzyl chloride boiling at 117-120" C., introducing same with sodium hydroxide solution into a suspension of zinc dust and water heated to 0., stirring and refluxing until the oily layer is free of chlorine, distilling off the oily layer, and then redistilling and collecting the fraction boiling at 92 C., under 3.5 mm. of mercury.

MARION SCO'IT CARPENTER. 

